Studenternas möte med arbetslivet : Digitala jobbportalers potentiella värde för studenter i samspel med traditionella kontaktnätverk

Sammanfattning: This thesis focuses on students’ encounters with working life. The thesis aims to contribute to an increased understanding of the potential value of digital job portals in interplay with traditional social networks by capturing students’ perceptions of their paths to working life. A qualitative research method has been applied where respondents from University West have been interviewed both individually and in groups. Both current and previous students were included in the study. Eleven semi-structured individual interviews and two group interviews were conducted and recorded with the support of field notes. Based on this combined approach, which also permitted interaction among the respondents, the study could capture a greater variety of both current and previous students’ experiences. The study contributes with knowledge based on a number of students’ experiences of their encounters with working life, both before and after completing their studies at the university. The results of the study suggest that the interplay between digital job portals and traditional contact networks is of great importance. Digital job portals seem to provide a broad picture of the job opportunities in relation to the education, while the contact networks provide more in-depth understanding as well as relationships that might contribute to actual job offers. Hence, values are created as a result of their interplay. In addition, the study shows that the practice part of the work integrated learning approach at University West is instrumental for students in enriching their contact networks and that this, in turn, often result in their first jobs. On the basis of the results, recommendations are suggested for further studies as well as for actions that might improve the students’ paths to working life.The recommendations concern capturing of previous students’ experiences, analysis of the effects of Work Integrated Learning and in particular different forms of practice, exploringmore aspects of comp